Technical Field
This document relates to methods and materials involved in treating cancer, for example, renal cell carcinoma, melanoma, and ovarian, breast, prostate, colon, pancreatic, bladder, liver, lung, and thyroid cancers. For example, this document provides methods and material for using one or more inhibitors of a stearoyl-Coenzyme A desaturase 1 (SCD1) enzyme to treat cancer.
Background Information
The incidence and deaths caused by renal cell carcinoma are increasing in the United States. Indeed, mortality from renal cell carcinoma has increased over 37% since 1950.
SCD1 is an enzyme that catalyzes the de novo lipogenesis of Δ-9 monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) oleic acid (OA) and palmitoleic acid (PA). These MUFAs are essential for the synthesis of triglycerides, sphingolipids, ceramides, glycolipids, phospholipids, and other lipoproteins which influence membrane fluidity, membrane raft formation and receptor clustering, second messenger signaling, fatty acid oxidation, energy storage, cell division, inflammation, and a number of other biological functions. SCD1 has been implicated as pro-tumorigenic in a multitude of cancers, such as clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC).